Dongo, Como, Lombardy, Italy

A world within a world: with words and a smile we will tell you the story of the beautiful Villa Evelina, owned by the so-called "Ragazzo del Lago", Mr. Aimone Canape.

Let's make a jump back into our local history. Aimone, born in 1922, was the first Partisan to deal with the officers of the Column during Mussolini's capture in Dongo in 1945.
Eclectic personality, aesthete and lover for rare Beauty: Aimone travelled everywhere in the world, bringing back to his native place new visions, experiences and concrete memories.
And like any aesthete, he felt the importance of owning a magnificent place where to bring back to life all his memories and collections he gathered towards his life. This is why Villa Evelina was built,nestled onto an elevated position, overlooking and embracing the lake view and mountains with all their beauty, leaving everyone entering speechless.
Entering in Villa Evelina means walking with full respect, into Aimone's real soul, as every corner reflects his deepest being and thoughts. A property hibrid of joy and melancholy, out of time and the known space. A timeless emotion, which will bring you back in time: a time we have not lived, but we can intensively feel thanks to the immense culture Aimone was able to bring back to life towards all the collection of pieces he got from all over Italy and the world. Close your eyes, take a deep breath and take a first step: welcome to Villa Evelina.

Built in 1970, this impressive property offers an amazing and rare to find 6,550 sq.m of beautiful gardens.


The magnificent main door opens into an impressive and welcoming entrance hall which leads into an expansive living area, divided into two separate rooms, one overlooking the other, filled with lights and charme, large windows with a terrific lake view and plenty of original details. Impossible not to notice the outstanding coffered ceiling, elegantly combined with the antique bookcase.
This was Aimone's favourite room without any doubt.

A staircase leads down to a bigger living area, surrounded by windows and embraced by an impressive fireplace.

The floor is something special: a wood-Art in all its beauty, made from artisans in the past, like a puzzle.

A stand out feature is the beautiful glass door: lead's frames with a visible skillful competence of designing beautiful images by means of colored pieces of glasses. What a piece of art! And peekings through the door.. Here we are! All the beauty of our beloved lake, cuddling all the mountains.

A portico with a big table and benches all around the garden, makes everyone comfortable, feeling home.

We know you heard about "Stube" (especially from Alto Adige - Sud Tirol): the dining area of Villa Evelina is fully covered by a very old wood, originally situated in a Stube, the beating heart of some old farmstead, a room around which the daily life of the house gravitated.

Together with the special fireplace, the emotion you can find entering this room is priceless.

What to say about the kitchen room? A very special area.

A big open fireplace is placed right in the middle of the room. Original stone floor, smoothed over time, leads into a smaller second dining area, with a huge window overlooking the gardens and the lake. Wooden beams at sight are spread all around the ceilings. A bathroom and a technical room complete this floor.

An elegant staircase leads through the sleeping area: and here we are, with another journey.

Walking up the staircase your eyes will be filled by the beauty of the original and colored coffered ceiling. Each door's frame has a specific painting, welcoming you into 3 different bedrooms.

Aimone's bedroom is filled with light and colors: a blue palette perfectly matching with the decorations and Art visible all around the room, letting breathe its timeless vibe. The bedroom opens up to a terrace, leaving everyone speechless for the offered view.

The private bathroom is perfectly equipped, with the addition of a tiny Juliette balcony and a comfy armchair.

Venetian homemade built-in wardrobes give a sense of luxury to this beautiful part of the property.

The other 2 bedrooms, both with private bathrooms and terraces, complete the first floor.

A hidden small staircase leads up to the attic level: wallpaper, wooden beams, tiny beds and tiny windows. Upon entering these small rooms, it will be impossible not to have memories of one's childhood. It will be a big surprise to feel the emotion of coziness and timeless memories these rooms will give us! A bathroom is conveniently set along the corridor between the rooms.

Last but not least: the cellars.

Like every 'castle' that deserves it, the cellars are truly unique.

Stone and soft lighting give that feeling of mystery that only a few properties manage to convey. Secretly connected to each other, it will be wonderful to sit in silence and breathe in what the stones whisper.

Some storages, a toilet, laundry and technical rooms conclude our special journey into Villa Evelina.

Into the whole property we do also have 3 other separate smaller properties:

- A beautiful Crotto house, with an ancient Torchio (wine press) inside and an exposed rock wall: how not to fall in love with it. Small windows overlooking the garden and the lake. Ancient stone sinks have been hung on the outside walls, allowing wonderful flowers to be planted.

- The Guardian house: a stony house, renovated sitting right next to the garage (up to 2 cars) and the marvellous outside covered stone portico.

- An additional small stoney property at the bottom of the garden.

To let you understand how special Villa Evelina is, we want to conclude our overview, pointing out a unique and inimitable feature, which gives us even more insight into the soul of its owner: the entire inner courtyard at the entrance to the villa is strewn with ancient stones. What is special about that?

Well: you can have fun finding ancient fossils in some of these stones! You will be surprised to see how many little and bigger shells are all spread around you!

Energy Efficiency Class G